Closing machine with rectangular container squaring and debulging devices



Dec. 1, 1953 J T. LwAclcH ETA; 2,660 936 CLOSING MACI- IINE WITH RECTANGULAR CONTAINER SQUARING AND DEBULGING DEVICES Filed July 20, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOHN W um C/C'h 0WAD 14/. DE 61545 CLOSING MACI- IINE WITH RECTANGULAR CONTAINER SQUARING AND DEBULGING DEVICES Filed July 20, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. \TOH/V TL/VAC/C/f I EON/APO W DE GEAR n mag R ban; x2

1953 Y J. 'r. LIVACICH ET AL 2,660,936

CLOSING MACHINE WITH RECTANGULAR CONTAINER SQUARING AND DEBULGING nsvxcms Filed July 20, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOH/V 7. L/l/AC/(H EDWARD W 05 65/15 JMMA ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1, 1953 CLOSING MACHINE WITH RECTANGULAR CONTAINER SQUARING AND DEBULGING DEVICES John T. Livacich and Edward W. De Gear, San Francisco, Calif., assignors to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 20, 1949, Serial No. 105,756

The present invention relates to a can or container closing machine and has particular reference to devices for squaring and debulging the bodies of flimsy fibre or similar containers preparatory to attaching covers to the containers.

In the packaging of'products such as frozen foods, cottage cheese, and many other commodities, a rectangular shaped container having a fibre body and metal end members is extensively used. The fibre body portion of the container before the end members are attached, and even after one of the end members been attached, is dimcult tov handle in automatic closing or sealing machines because of ti e flexible or flimsy nature of the material from which the body is made. In advancing the bodies through the machine, they often become distorted into 2. diamond shape instead of retaining a squared or rectangular shape and hence cause considerable difiiculty in matching or aligning them with the cover or end member to be attached thereto. Another cause of difficulty is the inherent spring in the fibre material which bulges the sides of the body and prevents unhampered attachment of the covers to the bodies.

An object of the invention is the provision in a container closing machine of devices which operate to square and debulge the sides of a flimsy container or container body so that at least a por- Lion of the container body may be passed through a centering ring to align the body with a cover preparatory to uniting the cover with the body.

Another object is the provision of such devices which are particularly adapted to high speed operation so that squaring of the container and debulging of its side walls may be efficiently effected while the containers and the covers to be attached thereto are advanced into the machine in substantially continuous processions.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better under-- stood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings; discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a container closing machine embodying the instant invention, with parts broken away Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the broken lines 2-2 in Fig. I, with parts broken away; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged schematic views showing a container and certain fragmentary 5 Claims. (01. 93-55.1)

2 incident to properly positioning the container for the reception of a cover.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate principal parts of a can or container closing machine such as that disclosed in United States Patent 2,447,525 issued August 24, 1.948, to R. E. J. Nordquist on Can Closing Machine.

In such a machine filled containers A (Fig. 1) and covers B are fed into the machine along difierent paths of travel and are brought together into vertical alignment at an assembling station 0 where the containers are lifted vertically to receive the covers and to position the covers and the upper ends of the containers into closing or seaming heads D (Fig. 2) which permanently unite the covers and containers in suitable end seams by interfolding of flange parts on the covers.

The instant machine is particularly adapted to feed and secure rectangular shaped sheet metal covers to correspondingly shaped fibre containers such as those commonly used for frozen food products, althoughthe invention is equally well adapted to containers and covers of other shapes and materials.

The sheet metal covers B are fed into the assembling station '0 of the machine in a horizontal position, along a curved runway I I (Figs. 1 and 2) having a pair ofspaced and. parallel guide rails [2 formed with cover supporting ledges it. The guide rails terminate at the assembling station. The covers B are advancedv along this runway H in spaced and timed order by feed dogs or fingers [*5 which are secured to the outer. ends of arms IQ of a horizontally disposed rotatable spider wheel H located adjacent the curved runway.

The rotatable spider wheel ii mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft is which is journaled in a bearing bracket 2-1 bolted to a frame 22' which constitutes the main frame of the machine. The shaft is rotated continuously by a spur gear 23 which is secured to the lower end of the shaft and which meshes with and is driven by a driving gear 2 mounted on the lower end of a vertical sleeve 25 surrounding a normallystationary shaft 2'6. The sleeve 25.: is supported in and journaled in a bearing bracket 2'. bolted to the main frame 22. The sleeve isrotated continuously in any suitable manner such as that shown in United States Patent LSGLQiil issued October 5, 1926, to P. W. Fleischer et on Multispindle Double Seamer'.

parts of the machine in diiierent positions as an Hencethrough the rotation of the spider wheel ll a feed dog 15 engages behind a cover B from any suitable source of supply such as a stack or the like and propels the cover along the runway it toward the assembling station 0. At the assembling station C, the cover supporting ledges iii are cut away to permit the cover to drop down from the runway H into a container and cover centering ring as which locates the cover in proper angular and horizontal position for reception by the container.

There are a plurality of the centering rings 25? equally spaced around the periphery of a turret 32 which is mounted on and rotated with the sleeve 25. The sleeve 25 and the spider wheel I? rotate in timed relation so as to bring a centering ring 2:; into proper position at the assembling station C each time a feed dog 55 on the spider wheel I! advances a cover B into position at the assembling station.

Each centering ring 29 includes an inwardly tapered throat or opening M which corresponds in shape and substantially in size to the cover B to be received therein. Within this throat the centering ring is formed with a horizontal inwardly projecting support ledge 35 which is of just sufficient width to engage the usual curled edge on the flange of the cover so as to leave the major portion of the flange free for engagement by the container as will be fully explained hereinafter. The top of the centering ring 29 is provided with a pair of upwardly extending cover locating lugs 37 which are located one at each end of the ring and adjacent the tapered edge of the throat.

Hence as a centering ring 29 and a cover B simultaneously approach the assembling station C, the centering ring passes under the guide rails l2 of the runway H and moves into a position directly under the approaching cover to receive the cover. The outer guide rail 12 is cut away away to permit clearance for the 10- cating lugs 3'! on the ring. During this approach of the cover and the centering ring, the cover moves into place between the locating lugs 3'3 and when the cover drops from the runway H it falls into the centering ring and-is properly located therein by the tapered walls of the ring throat and is supported on the ring ledge in readiness for application to the container.

To facilitate this proper centering of the covers B in the centering rings 23, the covers move along a straight line path of travel for a short distance during the approach of the covers to the assembling station C. This is effected by the assembling station C being located on the center line of the ring turret 32 and slightly in advance of a parallel center line of the spider wheel ll as best shown in Fig. l. r

The fibre containers A to be assembled with the covers B are fed into the machine toward the assembling station C from any suitable source of supply in a substantially endless straight line procession, arranged in spaced and timed order and in a vertical or upright position. The bottoms may be secured to the container bodies and the containers filled with a product although the invention is equally well adapted to the seaming of covers onto empty container bodies.

The entering containers A move along a straight line runway 4! (Fig. 1) having a pair of spaced and parallel lower L-shaped suppor ing and guiding rails .2 (see also Fig. 2) and a pair of spaced and parallel upper guide bars 43. These guide rails and bars extend toward and d terminate at the assembling station C. They are held in place by brackets 44, 45 which are bolted to a horizontal table 46 which is part of the main frame 22.

Advancement of the containers A along the runway 51 in spaced and timed order is effected in time with the advancement of the covers B and the centering rings 29. This is brought about by an endless chain conveyor 38 which is disposed adjacent the container runway ii in spaced and parallel relation thereto and which operates continuously over suitable vertically disposed sprockets 49. The upper or feeding run of the conveyor is supported and guided on a horizontal support rail 52 which is carrier in the table 46 and in a bracket 53 (Fig. 2) secured to the spider wheel bearing bracket 2!. Feed dogs 5 5 secured to the conveyor at spaced intervals therealong engage behind the flimsy fibre containers A and feed them toward the assembling station 0. These feed dogs are disposed in a horizontal position and extend laterally from the conveyor into the container runway 4|.

With such an arrangement of feeding mechanism, a container A, a cover B, and a centering ring 28, all approach the assembling station in timed order. As a container approaches the assembling station, the corresponding centering ring moves into position above the contai er as best shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3. 5imultaneously with this action, a half mold (Figs. 2 and 3) which is formed integrally with the centering ring and which depends therefrom, moves into position. to receive and hold the container. The container feed dogs 5 1 advance the container into the mold as best shown in Fig.

In order to insure proper positioning of a container A into a mold 55 and to square the sides of the container with each other, a pressure is exerted against the outer trailing corner of the container as best shown in Fig. 3. For this pur pose each arm iii of the spider wheel ll carries a squaring finger 58 which moves with the spider wheel. The finger moves into position with the feeding of the cover B and engages the corner of the container A as shown in Fig. 3 just as the container is entering the mold The squaring finger 58 after engagement with the corner of the container, forces the corner ahead while the opposite corner of the container is backed up by the mold and thus twists the body of the container into proper position in the mold. In this manner a container body which 15 out of square, even though it has a bottom on it, is forced back into shape so that its sides are square with each other and its corners are square as shown in Fig. l.

At times the inherent spring in a fibre container body bulges its sides outwardly in a bow shape as shown in Fig. 3. Such bulging is also caused sometimes by the contents of the container. To overcome this bulging action so as condition and align the container for the reception of a cover, the sides of the container are pressed inwardly to straighten them. This is effected after the container is fully seated in the mold 56.

This debulging action is effected by a presser pad El (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) which is formed on the outer end of a lever 62 which is carried on and rotates with the spider wheel ll. There is one of these presser pads and levers for each squaring finger 58. Each lever s2 is mounted adjacent its squaring finger 58, on a pivot pin 63 carried in a boss 6! Fi s 1' and a) formed on each of the. arms 15. of the spider wheel." The inner and of each lever 552 carries a cam roller 65 which operates in a cam track 65 of a stationary face cam 51 loated above the rotatincspider wheel IL Th cam is secured to a vertical post 63 which aligns vertical y with the s der whe l shaft L9 and whi h is suppo t d a bra ket .69. projec n out from a uperstructure of the ma n frame 22..

H nc as t e. spider wheel I? rotates to feed ov 33. nd t squ re. p an uter-square container A, th d buls n or nr sse pad ev r 62 moves with h wheel and at the assemb in staon .02 t e cam rack 6t rocks the lever 52 swipes its Pr pad u ward aga nst th ute si e of h co ta ner, n agin th can: tainer near its p ed e and, in pera on w th the mold 56, forcing its oppos ng s des inwardly into a straight line .or flat relation. In this manner the squaring finger .58 and the presser pad 6! cooperate with the mold 56 to force a distorted container a into a squared position directly under a centering ring 29 so that the container may be readily lifted up. into and through the centering ring to Pick up the waiting cover B.

Lifting of the properly squared containers A is effected by conventional pusher or lifter pads H (Fig. 2), which are located, one under each centering ring 23 and which are supported in a flange E2 on the sleeve 25. The lifter pads are raised and lowered at the proper time by cam rollers 13, 34. which operate against stationary cam tracks 15,, 16 formed on the sleeve bearing bracket 2'5. 'Ihe containers transfer from the. container runway ll to a lifter pad H in the conventional manner as the pads individually approach the assembling station C. At the assembling station the squared container while held in shape by the mold 56, the squaring finger 58 and the presser pad BI, is raised by a lifter pad ll into the centering ring 29 and engages the positioned cover B in its peripheral flange part. This pad continues to lift the container to push the superimposed cover and the upper end of the container through the centering ring and into a closing head D. There is one closing head D for each centering ring 29 and they are disposed just above the rings and rotate in this relation, with the turret 32. The closing head seals the cover onto the lifted container and the lifter pad thereupon lowers the sealed container for discharge from the machine in the conventional manner.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

We claim:

1. In a machine for attaching covers to rectangular can bodies, the combination of feeding devices for advancing a can body along a predetermined substantially straight path of travel, a movable centering ring disposed adjacent one side of said path of travel for holding a cover in spaced relation to an advanced can body for application thereto, a movable mold disposed between said centering ring and said feeding devices and located in axial alignment with said centering ring, actuating means for continuously moving said ring and said mold in unison along said path of travel for receiving said advanced can body in said mold, squaring means disposed on the opposite" side of said path of travel and movable toward said mold, means operating in time with said actuating means for moving said squaring means into engagement with said body for shifting its sides relative to each other in said mold for squaring=up said body relative to said centering ring, and pusher means movable toward said mold for pushing said squared-up body through said centering ring for receiving the cover held in said ring.

2. In a machine for attaching covers to rectangular can bodies, the combination of feeding devices for advancing a can body along a predetermined substantially straightpath of travel, a movable centering ring disposed on one side of and adjacent said path or travel and arranged to hold a cover for application to said can body, a movable mold disposed between said centering ring and said feeding devices and locate in axial alignment with said centering ring, actuating means for continuously moving said ring and Said mold in unison along said path of travel for receiving said advanced can body in said mold, a

'. movable squaring finger disposed adjacent the opposite side of said path of travel for engaging said body adjacent a corner thereof as the body enters. said mold for squaring-up the sides of said body relative to each other, a presser pad also disposed adjacent said opposite side of the path of travel of said body for engaging a side of said body for compressing the body in the mold to straighten the sides of the body in case they are bulged, actuating means for moving said squaring finger and said presser pad toward said mold in time with each other and in time with said mold for effecting the squaring and the debulging operations, and pusher means for pushing said squared-up and debulged body through said centering ring for receiving the cover held in said ring.

3. In a machine for attaching covers to rectangular can bodies, the combination of a rotatable centering ring, a mold disposed in axial alignment with said centering ring, means for continuously rotating said ring and said mold in an arcuate path and in unison, body feeding devices for advancing a can body along a path substantially tangent to said arcuate path and into said mold adjacent said centering ring, cover feeding devices disposed on the side of said path of the bodies opposite said centering ring and movable toward said ring for feeding a cover into said centering ring in a position axially spaced relative to said body, actuating means for operating said cover feeding devices in time with the rotation of said ring and mold, a squaring element carried on said cover feeding devices and movable toward said mold for engaging said body adjacent a corner thereof for squaring-up said body in said mold to align the sides of the body with the contour of said fed cover received in said centering ring, and pusher means movable in time with the rotation of said mold for pushing said squared-up body through said centering ring for the application of the cover thereto.

4. In a machine for attaching covers to rectangular can bodies, the combination of a rotatable centering ring, a mold disposed in axial alignment with said centering ring, means for continuously rotating said ring and said mold in an arcuate path and in unison, body feeding devices for advancing a can body along a path substantially tangent to said arcuate path and aee eee into said mold adjacent said centering ring, cover feeding devices disposed on the side of said path of the bodies opposite said centering ring and movable toward said ring for feedinga cover into said centering ring in a position axially spaced relative to said body, actuating means for operating said cover feeding devices in time with the rotation of said ring and mold, a squaring element carried on said cover feeding devices movable toward said mold for engaging said body adjacent a corner thereof for squaring-up said body in said mold to align the corners of the body with the corners of said fed cover received in said centering ring, a pivotally mounted presser pad carried on said cover feeding devices in advance of said squaring element, means for rocking said presser pad on its pivotal mounting and toward said mold for compressing the body against said mold to straighten the sides of the body if bulged so that they will align with said cover, and pusher means movable toward said mold in time with the rotation of said mold for pushing said squared-up and debulged body through said centerin ring for the application of the cover thereto.

5. In a machine for attaching covers to rectangular can bodies, the combination of a rotatable turret, a centering ring carried on and movable with said turret, a mold disposed in axial alignment with said centering ring, actuating means for continuously rotating said turret and said mold in unison, body feeding devices for advancing a can body along a straight line path of travel into said mold adjacent said centering ring, a rotatable spider wheel disposed opposite said turret, means for continuously rotatin said wheel in time with said turret, a cover feed track disposed adjacent said wheel and leading to said turret for guiding a cover to said centerin ring, a feed dog mounted on said wheel for feeding said cover along said track and into said centering ring in axially spaced relation to an end of said can body, a squaring finger mounted on said Wheel adjacent said feed dog for engaging said body adjacent a corner thereof for shiftin the sides of said body relative to each other in said mold to align the end 01 the body with the contour of the cover in said centering ring, pusher means rotating with said turret in axial alignment with said centering ring, and means operable in time with said turret to actuate said pusher means for pushing the squared-up body through said centering ring for the application of the cover thereto.

JOHN T. LIVACICH. EDWARD W. DE GEAR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,141,502 Stock June 1, 1915 1,370,807 Gray Mar. 3, 1921 1,486,151 McIntyre Mar. 11, 1924: 1,506,099 Wilson et al Aug. 26, 1924 1,620,796 Blankenhorn Mar. 15, 1927 2,047,423 Mallory July 14, 1936 2,188,939 Cameron Feb. 6, 1940 2,378,355 Kronquest June 19, 1945 2,399,203 Cameron Apr. 30, 19% 2,578,772 Ames Dec. 18, 1951 

